ASP Announces GoPro as Sponsor

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is pleased to announce GoPro, maker of the world's most versatile camera and enabler of some of todays most engaging content, as the exclusive camera sponsor for the Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) and the ASP Big Wave World Tour (BWWT).

As part of the partnership, ASP will be integrating GoPro content into event coverage. The footage will provide fans across the world with new and unique viewpoints of the elite athletes as they compete.

â€œWe're thrilled to welcome GoPro into the ASP family and work with them to showcase the extraordinary abilities of our world-class athletes,â€ said ASP CEO, Paul Speaker. â€œASP's partnership with GoPro will add an exciting new dimension to our event coverage and help us tell the stories of the world's best surfers on the world's best waves from a unique new point of view.â€

ASP's top-of-class programming will now include an exclusive wave preview captured by an ASP athlete, called the GoPro Breakdown, which will give fans an insight into the world-class waves at each stop. Select events will also feature GoPro cameras mounted on athletes' boards during competition, adding a dramatic and dynamic point of view to the coverage and allowing audiences to witness first hand the incredible skills of professional surfers. In addition, five ASP Tour stops will host video contests where athletes will be rewarded for unique content captured during competition and/or free surfs. A panel of judges will award the winning clips a cash prize. GoPro footage captured from ASP's elite surfers will be available to fans around the globe, taking viewers down the lines and deep into barrels of these world-renowned waves.

â€œThe core of our brand is rooted in surf, and for many of us here at GoPro, this is a dream realized to be a part of the ASP Tour,â€ said GoPro Founder and CEO, Nicholas Woodman. â€œWe are stoked to be part of this next evolution in professional surfing and hope that GoPro can help attract new fans to the sport and give lifelong fans new ways to enjoy the coverage of the tour.â€

Eleven-time ASP World Champion and GoPro-sponsored surfer Kelly Slater (USA) commented on the partnership, saying, â€œThis camera started from surfing and it's only fitting that it's tied in deeper with the surfing World Tour. Having firsthand shots of guys in competition will draw everyone much closer to the action, create a totally different experience for everyone watching, and get the surfers psyched to share that with the world. I can't wait to see what the first year of GoPro sponsorship brings to the people wanting to get up close and personal with the surfers in heats and around the event.â€

In addition to sponsorship news, GoPro also announced the addition of Brazilian surf phenom Gabriel Medina, along with Basque ASP competitor Aritz Aranburu, to the GoPro Surf Team. Fellow GoPro riders Alana Blanchard (HAW) and Lakey Peterson (USA) are set to compete on the Women's World Championship Tour this 2014 season.

The first stop on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour is the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast from March 1 â€“ 12.